Dock-railway construction.



E. W. PUNK.

DOCK RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIUATION FILE D MAR. 15, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES.-

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EPATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY. 7

No. 768,743. I PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

El Wu DOCK RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 15, 1904.

1 2 SHEETS-SHEET z. ,1 1,6 .3 3 I 45 80 MODEL.

WITNESSESJ' I r v 'ggf By r M A TTO-RNEY.

Patented August 30, 1904.

PATENT EErcE.

EIVIRA WV. FUNK, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

DOCK-RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,743, dated August 30, 1904.

Application filed March 15, 1904.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, EMRA W. FUNK, aciti- Zen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dock-RailwayConstruction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to dock-railway construction, and has for its object the provision and arrangement of means whereby cars are adapted to pass in continuous circuit around a trestle or across any part of the same and to unload their burdens during such circuit and continue back to the place of beginning.

Vith this and other objects in view it consists of the constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of said invention, partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of said invention on the line A B of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a modified form of said invention, partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical transverse section of the line C D of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a portion of said invention, showing one of the aprons extending from one of the cross-bridges to the marginal track.

In the drawings, 1 1 representasupportingtrestle of any suitable construction extending around the four sides of a dock, within the bounds of which trestle is an open area 2, adapted to receive coal or other materials to be stored. Said trestle or dock may also be provided with pockets 3, adapted to receive some of said materials, which pockets are well known to the art. Positioned on said trestle is a transversely-movable bridge 4:, extending across said open area and adapted to be moved from one to the other end of said trestle. The supports for such bridge are similar to those shown for the bridges in Fig. 2 and comprise the sills 5 and 6, respectively, a suitable number of supporting-wheels? and 8,respectively,

Serial No. 198,239. (No model.)

and tracks 9 and 10, respectively. Upon said trestle is laid an endless track 11, adapted to support suitable cars. (Not shown.) Across said bridge is laid a track 12, corresponding in gage to said track 11. v

I am aware that the trestle and bridge as so far described are well known to the art, and therefore make no broad claim to the same. Heretofore, however, the customary construction of such bridges and tracks has been such that cars passing over said bridge would leave said bridge at the opposite end, following a loop comprising one end of the trestle, a portion of the two sides of the same, and the bridge. Thus no portion of the trestle at the opposite side of the bridge from the startingpoint could be reached. The special object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the bridges and tracks that the trestle beyond the bridge from the starting-point can be reached by the cars. This I accomplish by forming a loop, as at 12*, in the track on said bridge and by constructing terminals at one end of said bridge extending in opposite directions and comprising the aprons l3 and 13, pivotally connected, as at 13, to said bridge in any suitable manner and extending over the adjoining track on the trestle, upon which aprons are laid inclined curved tracks 12, extending from the tracks on said trestle to the tracks on said bridge. Said aprons preferably have a very limited pivotal movement on said bridge to allow for any slight torsional movement of the bridge. Said aprons are preferably braced as to each other by brace-rods 13 and may be supported on said track 11 by rollers 13 of any suitable number or construction. Upon the bed of said tracks and supported by idler-wheels 14: and guided at suitable points by guide-wheels 15 is an endless cable 16, which is carried downward at any suitable point, as at 16, over guide-Wheel and to and around suitable drums (not shown) driven by a suitable engine beneath said trestle, as is well known to the art. Said cable returns above said trestle over a guide-wheel, as at 16, and continued in the direction of the arrow. Cable gripcars of any suitable construction are thus enabled to grip said cable at any suitable starting-point, as at X, and continue along a portion of said trestle and then over said bridge and return over said bridge and then around the remaining portion of the trestle and back to the starting-point. In the modification .shown in Figs. 3 and 4: a second or inner track 17 is laid upon one side of said trestle, and. two bridges span the open space between the sides of said trestle. There are in this case only single aprons at each end of said bridges. The aprons at one of the corresponding ends of said bridges turn toward each other and extend over the track 17, and the aprons at the opposite corresponding ends of both bridges turn in opposite directions to each other and extend over thetrack 11. The bridge-loop of the cable then enters upon one end of one of the bridges and passes ofi at the opposite end and along track 17 and onto the corresponding end of the other bridge, thence oii' the opposite end of the second said bridge, by which arrangement and construction a still greater extent of storage area can be reached without moving the bridges. It is obvious that when the bridges are moved new portions of the storage area are made accessible. Some of said cars may of course be engaged in loading cargo from the storage area while others are dumping cargo at other points.

While I have described certain details of construction, it is obvious that minor modifications or alterations may be made within the spirit and scope of my said invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trestle-railway, the combination ofa fixed trestle inclosing four sides of a relatively open area, a continuous track on said trestle, a movable bridge extending across said area, a looped track on said bridge, the opposite ends of which looped track are curved in opposite directions and extend over and incline down to the track on said trestle, a movable continuous cable laid on the bed of said tracks, and means for supporting and guiding said cable substantially as described.

2. In a trestle-railway, the combination. of a fixed trestle inclosing four sides of a relatively open area, a second track on the inner side of one side of said trestle, movable bridges extending across said area, a track extending across each of said bridges and curving to- Ward each other at one end of said bridges and cooperating at said end of said bridges with said second track on said trestle to form a loop, the opposite ends of said bridge-tracks curving in opposite directions to each other and extending over and inclining down to the first said track on said trestle, a movable continuous cable laid on the bed of said tracks, and means for supporting and guiding said cable substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I. hereunto ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMRA I/V. FUNK.

WVitnesses:

JAMES T. WATSON, CHARLES S. Olson. 

